Sachusetts



April 9- 'M. ALDEN VACUUM TUBE CONNECTER iled Oct. 5 1926 NVENTQ being operated upon by the bending Patented Apr. 2,

rumor; ALDEN, or SPRINGFIELD, uassacnussrrshssrenon 'ro sinnn mm:-

II'ACTUBING COMPANY, 01 B BAQHUSETTS.

non, MASSACHUSETTS, a coaroaa'noir or use vacuum-Tuna commons.

Application med October a, 1920. smar- No. 139,656.

My invention relates to means for readily attaching additional apparatus to radio receivers equipped with vacuum tubes.

' There are many thousands of broadcast re- 6 ceivers in the hands of users toda which are in the main satisfactory but of ate certain important improvements have been made notabl in the design of the coupling devices and the evelopment of new vacuum tubes both of which greatly improve the quality of the audio frequency amplification.

' A unit containing the necessary apparatus to bring these receivers practically up to date may be manufactured to sell for a small frac- 16 tion of the cost of a complete receiver, and if a unit of this type is so constructed that it can be quickl and easily attached without the use of too s and by a person lacking electrical knowledge it has considerable commercial value as the purchaser may bring his old receiver practically up to dateat a comparatively small expenditure.

Heretofore one of the eatest difliculties encountered in a device 0- this type has been to find some simple and e 'method of effectin connection with the gl ate of the detector tn 0 so that the output 0 this tube may be led to the input of the'outside amplifier. In many. constructions the socket terminalsof otherwise inaccessible and it IS difiicult to design a clip or other device which is sure of contact and easy to attach in inaccessible places of this nature. I My invention however affords a sure and simple means for effecting this connection or connections of a like nature for various purposes such as testing or experimentation.

The main object of my invention is to produce a simple means forrapidly and surely effecting electrical connection with anfy one of the terminals of any vacuum tube 0 a receiver and at thesame time in no way altering the internal wiring of the receiver. A specific object is to provide a very small device which can be used with practically any typ; of tube or socket.

eferring to the drawin s: i Fig. 1 shows a rear elevation of one embodiment of m invention. V

Fig. 2 s ows a side elevation of structure. 7 4

Fig. 3 shows the blank or punchindgj before the same the receiver arebelow a sub-panel. or are tube insertedin a push-pull and the enlargements 11 and 12 and bent into v the form shown in the remaining figures.

The enlargement 12 serves as an anchor to the flexible lead 13. The end of this lead may be passed through the shank and stripped and soldered or otherwise secured under the tab 14, and the tab 15 may be-bent down upon the insulation of the lead 13 so a I as to prevent its slipping back upon the conductor and from fraying.

The lower end or foot 11is bent at a right angle at 16 at sucha' distance from the aperture 17 that when a prong. of a standard large base vacuum tube is inserted in this 'a rture theshank 11 lies against the wall 0 the tube base 18,- as shown in Fig. 4. The shank is made thin so that it can be inserted with the .tnbe base in a socket 19. The foot is also referably thin so that it will take up but.

ittle'space between a socket 20 of the pushpull type and the tube base 21.

Integral with the foot 11 are the rs 22 and 23 which will yieldingly grip the sides of a vacuum tubeprong as shown in Fig. '4.

The archedbend 24 may be formed in the foot 11 so as to permit a yielding lateral en-" larg'ernent of the aperture 17 thus insuring a firm grip upon and good-contact with the vacuum tube prong.

The shank 11 may be covered with a thin insulating covering such as 21, in Fig. 6, which may be of silk impregnated with phenolic varn1sh and serves to prevent short circuits in l the case of metal walled sockets.

The device can be readily applied to the prong with which connection is desired and the construction is such that the same device I will fit on different sizes of prongs. Both the spring fingers and the archedbend 24 contribute to this effect. If the contact stickson the prong when it is desired to remove it, a knife blade or other thin implement can be inserted between the arch 24 and the adjacent base of the tube so as to compress the arch and spread prong of a vacuum tube, said strip having a shank adapted to fit between the side of a tube base and the inner wall of a socket and said foot being adapted to lie between the end oi the tube base and a contact of the socket.

2. A vacuum tube connecter comprisinga -thin metallic strip having a foot at one end bent at an angle and provided with an opening and means adapted to receive and hold a prong of a vacuum tube, said strip having a shank adapted to fit between the side of a tubebase and the inner wall of a socket and said foot being adapted to lie between the end of the tube base and a contact of the socket, said means comprising jaws for engaging the prong of a tube and a bent portion for releasing said jaws.

v 3. A connecter for avacuum tube prong comprising a thin insulated shank adapted to lie between the base of a tube and the inner wall of a socket and an angularly bent foot having a perforation with resilient gripping 3aws.

4. A connecter having a thin spring strip having an arched foot with an opening and means on opposite sides of the opening for gripping andholding the prong of a tube.

5. A connecter for a prong of a vacuum tube comprising a thin metallic strip haying an arched foot with an opening and means for gripping and holding the prong of a vacuum tu e.

6. A vacuum tube connecter comprising a metallic strip having a shank and an end bent to form a foot provided with a perforation with short aws at the sides of the perforation adapted to engage the sides of aprong of a tube with a toggle-like gripping action, perforation in said foot being located far enough from the bend in the shank to enable the shank to extend up around the edge of the tube base when the tube prong is in the perforation, said foot being adapted to be released from the prong by prying between said foot and the base of the tube.

/ MILTON ALDEN.

the. 

